Alissa and Frank were married at Mission Inn Resort in Howey in the Hills, Florida. Not only had I never heard of the resort before, I had never even heard of the city, lol.  However, it was a beautiful property with endless spots for great photos.

They chose not to see each other before the wedding, and they got ready in rooms across from each other, so we had to be very careful so that they wouldn’t cross paths. I’ve never had that happen in the 12 years I’ve been doing weddings, and I’m not about to start now.  The guys room was really cool because it had a couple pool tables. We even recreated the famous Rat Pack photo, which you can see below.

After the ceremony, we had a bunch of family photos, so we had a limited amount of time to jump on a golf cart and get some shots around the property. They had a beautiful waterfall which was a gorgeous backdrop for some fantastic photos. From there, we went straight to the reception, where they partied hard for several hours. They had a sparkler send-off at the end of the night, which is always a lot of fun (and I’ve managed to avoid getting burned as of late).

Here are a few of our favorite images:

Kelly and John were married at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Clearwater.  Although they live in Illinois, we shot their engagement shoot when they came down to scout out their wedding venues. We hit it off right away and couldn’t wait for their wedding to happen.  I think they chose the perfect venue.

There was a little concern that the weather might not hold up and we would be forced inside for the ceremony. Luckily it stayed dry, and we were actually able to get some nice soft light. The weather was warm, but not too bad for this time of year.

The reception was held outside as well, but we were eventually forced indoors when the weather decided it was time to rain.   I’ve learned rather quickly that you have to always be on your toes when it comes to the weather out here. Regardless, everyone had a fantastic time. Here are a few of our favorite images:

Brooke and Alex were married at the Gulport Casino. This was our first trip to Gulfport, and we really enjoyed the beauty of the quiet little beach town. It’s certainly a far cry from the busy St. Pete and Clearwater beaches we are used to since moving to Florida.

The day was a hot one. A really hot one. Luckily for everyone both the ceremony and reception were indoors.  By the time we went out for sunset photos, the temperature dropped and it was quite comfortable.  It’s amazing how drastic the weather changes in Florida:)

They chose to see each other prior to the wedding. We always leave that decision completely up to the couple, but I don’t think you’ll ever find a photographer that doesn’t want to be able to take some pictures of the couple before the wedding. Due to the heat, they chose to have the first moment indoors, which was totally fine by us.  It was a beautiful moment, and we were thrilled to be able to capture such great emotion.  Nothing beats seeing a groom see his soon to be bride for the first time in her dress!

Brooke’s coordinators from Lemon Drops Weddings and Events did a great job decorating the site. They did a great job with all the little details, making a perfect wedding even more perfect.  Here are just a few of our favorite images.

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